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Sunday, 27 December 2015

Tamba... Female Spiritual Hygiene On Quaye’s Canvas

By Tajudeen Sowole

When female hygiene, as a
subject, attracts the palette of an artist, the issue of crossing the line of
'decent' expression and presentation in creative context becomes relative as
printmaker Tayo Quaye's adventure into painting suggests. Quaye, b. 1954 is a
printmaker of over 40 years, widely traveled and currently showing his
paintings for the first time in Nigeria.

Before 2 by Tayo Quaye.

Displayed under the title of The Tamba Series at Rele Gallery, Ikoyi,
Lagos, the female figures are, arguably, the most graphic depiction of personal
hygiene in art space of Lagos in recent times. Quaye’s last solo, an exhibition
of prints was in 2000 at Nimbus Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The current exhibition, so it appears, further
stresses Rele Gallery's attitude towards creating “new ideas” to generate fresh
art followers and collectors. Given the thickening texture of contemporaneity, the
Tamba theme would be a delight for extremism
performance artists such as Marina Abramvoic and Tracey Emin, though the
cultural or spiritual origin of the theme remains a debate, which Quaye attempts
to raise. But as a creative expression of an artist who is known for prints,
Quaye's skill in painting derives so much strength from drawing, a crucial factor
in lino and etching family of the print medium.

Segmented into series such as After Bath, Before and Tamba, the
blue tone of nearly all the paintings suggest secretive or sacred perspective
to the theme. From modern to the contemporary era, cultural or religious values
always view personal hygiene, particularly of genital part of the body
differently. In southwest of Nigeria, for example, using water for cleansing after
discharging feces is a common cultural behaviour among Yoruba. Perhaps, from
such hygiene process comes 'tamba', which has been the behavior of the people
across generations. However, Quaye's focus on ‘tamba’ as a female issue is well
understood given the sensitivity of hygiene in women’s privacy.

"Tamba is part of my childhood
memory," says Quaye during a chat inside Rele Gallery few days after the
opening. "Growing up, my mother - who is still alive - never told me to go
and tamba." He insists that it has been a cultural behaviour among Yoruba
that when a lady is old enough to start taking bath, the mother tells her to
always ‘tamba.’ "It is different from cleaning after discharging feces."
The emphasis, as he understands 'tamba' is on lady's cleanliness of genital part
of the body, using water.

The artist notes the disappearing culture of
tamba among ladies during a period of 20 years while compiling the works. In
fact, he argues that "ladies of today do not know what tamba means." Quaye
finds "as disgusting," for example, "ladies using tissue paper
or ‘toilet rolls’ instead of water after visiting the toilet." Indeed, the
artist echoes thinking of most Yoruba men who derogatorily refer to such ladies
as 'awon omo ti o ki n' tamba.' (Ladies who don't wash their genitals properly).

From a
spiritual perspective of the theme, it appears that tamba has never declined
among adherents of the Islamic faiths. Across gender, Muslims hold on to the
hygiene of using water at every point of visiting the toilet for minor or major
discharge of wastes. And for the fact that families in southwest of Nigeria
interact across faiths, it is also common to note that some non-Muslim Yoruba
ladies have imbibed the culture of tamba as part of private hygiene.

Given
the cultural and faith background, what exactly is the origin of tamba? Quaye
says his research has not exactly been definite as the origin of the word. But
the spiritual and faith origin, he agrees, has been confirmed. "I spoke to
one Imam who told me that the Quran places so much emphasis on tamba. So, it's
a spiritual cleanliness for Muslims across gender," Quaye stresses.

And with Mallam
(oil and charcoal on paper 1986), depicting back view of a male figure
urinating in a crouch position, the cross-gender spiritual cleanliness of tamba
in is confirmed. Beside the male figure, as captured on Quaye’s canvas, is a small
water container, waiting to be used as part of the spiritual bathe of the man.
The crouch position of the figure as captured in Quaye's work, interestingly,
is a subject of debate among scholars of Islamic spiritual bath: opinions are
divided on the implications of standing or crouching.

Based
in northern Nigeria, the artist’s body of work, he discloses, took him so long
to compile, "because it's difficult to get someone to pose for you in this
part of the country."

Few prints such as After Bath 2 and 1, Isegun and Bather, included in the exhibition and catalogue remind followers
the artist about his print background. Quaye was one of the students of master
printmaker, Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya. Forty years after, the traces of
Onobrakpeya's print technique still hovers over his art. Since his professional
career, post-school, he has consistently been glued to the style and technique
of prints, which is full of lines. It goes beyond been attracted to the
technique, he says. "Printmaking is so vast that it is a course on its own
in universities abroad." He recalls how, for example, he wanted to gain
admission to study art at a U.S university, and the school "asked me to
get a portfolio."

Onobrakpeya, he explains, "was the only option that
offered me apprenticeship." Though he ended up at Yaba College of
Technology (YABATECH) Lagos, "the experience with Onobrakpeya prepared me
well enough." For over 40 years of his career, despite majoring in
painting at YABATECH, printmaking refused to create space for the former.
"Printmaking is a very jealous medium; so, painting couldn't have crept
in."

Quaye's Tamba
opened few weeks ahead of the third convention of Guild of Professional Artists
of Nigeria (GFA). Being a foundation member of GFA, is Quaye honestly,
satisfied that the essence of founding the group has been achieved? "To
the best of my knowledge, GFA is still on track," Quaye, one of the few
members who practise outside the Lagos base of the group argues.

Like most members, he insists that GFA has
restored professionalism to the fold of Nigerian visual arts circle. He agrees
that indeed, art is very vulnerable to flooding of people who are not
professional artists, but "it's important to draw the line." He
recalls how the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA)-organised art exhibitions in
the past "used to promote professional artists."

The coming of GFA, he boasts, has brought back
professionalism into Nigerian art scene. "For GFA, the regular art
exhibitions and auctions that feature works of members "show that the
guild is on course."

Tayo Quaye.

In the first four years of GFA after its
official launching in 2008, membership of the group was strictly by invitation.
Currently, the seeming liberalism, which opened up membership to applications
is still not all encompassing enough, so a section of critics insist. Quaye, in
defense of the guild notes that every association has a certain level of
exclusiveness. "Professional bodies like the Nigerian Bar Association
(NBA), the medical doctorsN among others are not for everybody. So, the GFA
cannot be an exception."

For Rele, Tamba,
which is running into the gallery's one- year anniversary brings the artist's
skills to fore. "Best known for his accomplished prints, lino engravings
and etchings, the artist with this exhibition will no doubt cement his legacy
of artistic dexterity," says Rele in a gallery statement."The series climaxes with the ‘Tamba
Series’ the works from which the entire series derives its
name. The pieces are a visual feast – depending on who’s
looking- and it focuses (again) on woman and her anatomical complexities. Here,
the artist insists on leaving it open to individual interpretation."

Quaye has exhibited in both solo and group
exhibitions in U.S, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.K as his work is represented in
several institutions and private collections across the world. His works, says
Rele “can be found at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and at the
Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. “